Blue Moon
by Ashabird
Summary: Hakoda, grieving over his dead wife, becomes fanatical, raising Katara much in the way that Azula herself was raised. Will Katara grow to hate the fire nation, cracking under the pressure of her fathers obsession and becoming insane as her firebending opposition did? Or will she rise up to become the greatest waterbending prodigy ever seen?
1. Death moon

**Chapter 1**

She would never forget the look on his face.

Kneeling in the scarlet snow, teeth bared in rage, such rage that could hardly be described, foreshadowed only by the grief in his eyes. He cradled the dead body of his wife in his arms, stroking the side of her face tenderly, desperately, as if it were all a dream and he would soon be awake, however it was not to be. They had promised that they would never leave each other, many years ago, but he didn't blame her. He blamed the fire nation. The fire nation that was slowly sucking out the life from their world like a parasite. The fire nation that had killed hundreds upon hundreds of airbenders, earthbenders, waterbenders. The fire nation that had come to the South Pole looking for the last waterbender. The fire nation that had killed his wife, the wife that had sacrificed herself for the sake of his daughter's future. He gently laid her down in the bloody snow, closing her eyes, still wide from fear, with a tender hand and stood. A few steps and he stood in front of his children. Sokka who stood, cheeks wet with his loss and Katara, whose face was as dry as his own. He took their hands, the hands of the future chief, and the last waterbender of the South Pole, that's what they would be from now on. Not Sokka and Katara, children of Kya and Hakoda, but Sokka and Katara the last hope of the southern water tribe and their vengeance. He would train them, teach them everything he knew and had ever learned, he would leave them in the hands of the clan, and then he would go to war. Perhaps he would die, perhaps not, but he knew regardless that they would continue his work, more importantly, Katara would. She was Kya's through and through. Where Sokka was an even mix of his parents, Katara was wholly Kya's from her looks to her smile. He thought it fitting that the fire nation should fall at her hands.

Sokka was listening. More specifically, he was eavesdropping. He had expected things to be different now that mom was dead, but even in his young mind, Sokka knew that something was wrong. His dad didn't hug him or Katara anymore. He trained them sure, that at least Sokka was exhaustingly certain of, but he no longer indulged in those casual touches, those little signs of affection that had defined them as a family. He was consumed by something, often watching him and Katara with a mad sort of fervor that he couldn't identify. All he knew was that it put him on edge. When his father looked at them like that, he and Katara went to stay with Gran Gran for awhile. When his father looked like that, he knew he would be worked into exhaustion that day, whether with clubs, spears or boomerangs until the nine year old boy collapsed. All the same, Sokka knew he didn't have it nearly as bad as his sister. Father seemed to place all his hopes on her as if she would be able to make everything alright. Katara practiced day in day out, going over any waterbending technique the villagers could dredge up from their rusty memories, recreating and even trying to improve the moves until she barely had enough energy even to stand. They knew Gran Gran tried her best to care for them, slipping them morsels of food and drink when father wasn't looking, protecting them from the harsher punishments he brought upon them for not working hard enough but she couldn't stop him from taking his children home at the end of the day. The end of the day, just before bed, was what Sokka considered the worst part of the day. That was when father would sit down with Katara, banishing Sokka to the other room so he couldn't protect her. Everyday he would tell Katara about their mother. How she was a brave woman killed by the fire nation to protect her. How she would want Katara to make it up to her by avenging her death. How the citizens of the fire nation were evil, cowards and thieves and murderers that sought to destroy every other country in their greed. And most of all he told her about how as the last waterbender of the southern tribe, it was her job to kill as many as she could. Sokka wouldn't have been surprised if Katara had been the most bloodthirsty little girl alive, but she wasn't. Katara didn't seem to care about anything. She was the definition of apathy. He might have been glad by the fact that that his sister was not a raging killing machine if he wasn't so worried for the future. Eventually their father would see that he had failed. There was no weapon against the fire nation. Just a powerful little girl with her own loyalties. What would happen then?

Sokka knew that something was going to happen. Something big. Today Katara hadn't been driven into the ground for once, unlike he who had been pushed further than usual. He was supposed to be asleep and even now he could feel the urge tugging at him, but whether by luck or sheer force of will, Sokka managed to cling to wakefulness. Thankfully his father's voice travelled from the other room, stirring him from his tired stupor. The sounds were soft and hushed, but Sokka could just barely hear what was being said if he strained his ears.

"Katara." Hakoda began stoically, and even from his position, Sokka could hear his sister still her nervous fidgeting

"Yes father" she replied, less a question than an acknowledgement

"Katara, many other nations look down on us as uneducated, uncivilized barbarians. Indeed, every nation other than our sister tribe to the north thinks of us as such. They believe we are unintelligent because we have no palace, no grand library or even the most mediocre collection of scrolls. What they fail to take into account is how badly fragile parchment would survive under these conditions. Do you follow me so far?" There was no response, but Sokka could imagine that his sister had nodded when he continued.

"Most of our knowledge, our history, our traditions and means of survival, are passed down orally through stories, like the ones that you and your brother used to attend before the attack, at the bonfire." Sokka could remember these times, one of his last memories of a time that mom had been alive and everything had been okay.

"You must have asked yourself why this is not so with waterbending." This time he didn't wait for a response before forging on in the rather one-sided conversation

"As every variety of bender, originates from a specific place, whether it is the plains of air country or the volcanos of fire country, so do waterbenders originate from the South Pole. Despite the more advanced way of life in the northern tribe, it is from here that waterbenders were first born into the world. As with most ancient civilizations the southern water tribe at one time held many secrets, both old and forgotten, and dark and forbidden, developed through centuries of travel and rigid dedication to the art of bending. If one looks closely enough, they can still find hints of the lost knowledge scattered throughout our traditions. Your mother was of a noble lineage, a direct descendant of these times, and throughout the years, it was her family which held onto the knowledge of one of the greatest secrets of the southern water tribe." At this Sokka caught his breath. Hakoda paused and Sokka froze, fearful that he had been caught, but gave a sigh of relief as he went on.

"Your mother gifted me with this secret many years ago in the case that should she die, I would be alive to pass the knowledge on to you. You're young but I know that you will have need of this knowledge in the future. I said earlier that parchment would not survive in this climate, and I did not lie, but the water tribes had another way of preserving their knowledge. There is a cave, not too far from the village, where the walls are painted with all the lost knowledge of the tribe. There should be a hot spring further in where you will be able to practice but I warn you, none who are not waterbenders of the southern water tribe may enter." Hakoda's voice was very serious now and Sokka shivered in his sleeping bag, doubting Katara was faring much better.

"And one last warning. As you learn from the paintings, you must start at the beginning of the cave and make your way further in as you master the techniques. There are techniques in that cave that are dangerous, even forbidden, though they become more so the further you go into the tunnel. I would not ask you in any other circumstance, but regardless of how dark the knowledge is, you must learn it all. To avenge your mother."

"Yes father." Katara said, voice carefully blank. It was doubtful that anyone other than Sokka would have been able to identify the tremor of fear in her voice.

"You will start tomorrow." and that was that. Obviously having been dismissed, Katara entered the only other room in their modest abode, and crawled into Sokka's sleeping bag, huddling against him. Neither said anything but they knew nonetheless that they needed comfort. Clutching at each other like the last thing holding each of them to earth, Katara finally drifted into sleep. Sokka, on the other hand, was left wide awake for the first time in months and stared at the ceiling.

He was afraid. He knew Katara might never recover from this. Sokka was already a warrior at his young age, responsible for his sister and for his tribe should his father die, but Katara was only eight years old. He could see her changing, almost imperceptibly. Each day that she stood at the edge of the ice, bending until her fingers were raw and frostbitten, she would arrive home a little more distant, her eyes a little more unfocused. Gone was his energetic, bright eyed little sister and in his place was someone who was slightly removed from reality, prone to looking out at the water with a dreamy gaze, unseeing but powerful. Very powerful. Sometimes it scared Sokka, how different she was becoming, yet he knew he would love her regardless. But all the same he realized that it was dangerous, to be so distant, yet to harbor such power. He also recognized that it was entirely the fault of his father. It was after all, he that kept pushing them relentlessly further, never ceasing in his strides towards vengeance, even to the point of moulding his own children into weapons. He feared that this cave would be the point of no return, Katara may never recover from the knowledge his father freely admitted was forbidden for a reason, he could lose his sister forever. But there was nothing Sokka could do, no way that he could stand against his fathers obsession. He would have to be content with being there for Katara. Preserving what he could of the sister that he had once known and protecting her from those who sought to use her, of which, considering her power even at this age, Sokka knew would be many. Turning to see Katara's hair splayed gracefully across their sleeping furs, Sokka gently caressed her cheek, in a possessive manner reminiscent of the way that Hakoda had stroked the face of his dead wife and fell into darkness, curled around her fragile form protectively.

**review!**


	2. Bitter moon

**Chapter 2 **

Katara sighed from where she kneeled next to her sleeping brother. It

was often lately that she found herself just sitting beside him, savouring

the peaceful expression that he found only in sleep. Now, whenever he

was awake his face was pinched in worry, with her most often being the

cause and the needs of the village right behind her. It had been like

this ever since father had left for war. She had been ten at the time and

Sokka only one year ahead of her. He hadn't even said goodbye. Sokka

had just woken one day to find both the duties of the chieftain and a

younger sister thrust on him at once. She supposed her father just

hadn't been able to handle the guilt any longer. Everything had changed

the day she had entered that cave. The walls had been densely painted

with painfully beautiful artistry, depicting dozens of waterbending

techniques with the most intricate of details. She had been enchanted like all of the waterbenders before her. Katara hadn't changed

immediately of course, but it was well known that she was something of

a prodigy, grasping new techniques as fast as she heard about them, moving deeper

into the tunnel each day until the paintings had turned from

instructions on how to heal a broken bone, to how to flay the skin

from a persons back with a waterwhip. It was much too dark for a girl

of eight, but her father insisted and so she adapted, continuing down

the tunnel until she came across the most forbidden of techniques.

Bloodbending. By the time she was ten she had absorbed every bit of

knowledge that the cave had to offer and was all the darker for it, but it was when she learned

bloodbending that the change had become irreversible. Her father had

known nothing of the technique and when she had finally demonstrated it for

him, he had been horrified and rightly so. He had suddenly seemed to snap out of his

obsession, moving past his grief and craving for vengeance to save what remained of his daughter. It hadn't worked. As much as he wept and regretted what he had done to Katara, he

abhorred and feared what his daughter had become. In his eyes, she was

a monster, a monster that hadn't even managed to take on the ideals he had tried

so hard to instil in her. If not by an unabiding, all consuming hatred of the fire nation, how

could such a creature be controlled? Hakoda went to war shortly after but he left a parting gift for the daughter he had betrayed. With a few words from him, all the villagers that had managed to ignore the changes

in Katara so far had turned against her overnight, looking down at her with

eyes filled with revulsion, whispering 'monster' as she passed. All

Katara had left was her brother and her grandmother. It was they who

ensured that she remained fed, for the villagers had exiled her both from their society and from the fruits of the communities labours. That was when Sokka resumed his weapons training,

for the first time since their father had left, knowing that he would

be the only means of defence standing between her and the village she had once

called home. Alienated by those who had at one time been her kinsfolk,

Katara spent most of her time in the cave, creating new techniques now

that she had learnt all the paintings had to offer her and inscribing the new techniques on its walls. She now only ever came to see her

family and to sleep. Now she was fourteen. She was a waterbending

master of the highest caliber. A prodigy whose power, hastened by

grief and obsession, had flourished. A disconnected soul, with only her

brother and grandmother to tie her to reality. And reviled, by

her tribe, by her cousins and by her kin.

Jolting herself from her thoughts, Katara shook her brother awake,

smiling slightly as he grumbled for her to leave him alone.

Nevertheless she persisted and Sokka soon blinked into wakefulness.

"What are you doing?" he rasped in a tired voice, turning over in his sleeping bag to look at her

"We need to go fishing." Katara said, gesturing to the ever emptying

food storages in the hut. Sokka squinted, the baskets normally filled with

smoked meats and fish focusing in his blurry vision.

"Fine" he replied, sighing as he left his warm bed for the

frigid chill of the arctic, idly watching his skin goosebump for a moment before rushing to

put on his parka. Katara stood by the door, patiently waiting as he

stumbled around the hut, knowing that though excellent chieftain he might be,

an early riser he was not. Finally he was ready and they exited their

modest home, taking up the canoe leaning alongside, before heading to

the river to fish. They walked like this for several minutes before finally reaching the river, pushing the canoe into the water where it bobbed as the siblings carefully climbed in. Finally katara pushed them off and they began to pedal, weaving their way through the glaciers until they met deeper waters. Soon enough they lowered the paddles, placing them in the bottom of the boat and Sokka took up his hunting spear, scanning the water for fish. On the other end of the boat Katara brought her hands into position to lift any approaching fish out of the water into the boat. They worked like this for quite some time, making soft conversation, until Katara hushed him. Peering into her hazy eyes as she stared intently at the glacier behind them, Sokka was just about to ignore his sister, being that she often stared at the air as if something would suddenly appear out of its very being, until she lifted an arm to point at the large slab of ice.

"Do you see it?" She whispered, and Sokka craned his neck to stare at the frozen glass, straining to pick out any small detail about it which might have garnered his sister's attention

"See what?" Katara smirked slightly at the question, as if amused by his thickheadedness

"The light. It's glowing inside, can't you see?" The waterbender said uncertainly, as if she was unsure that the light she saw was not a hallucination. Now that she mentioned it Sokka could just make out the faintest glimmer of light coming from the centre of the ice, not enough to notice if you weren't looking for it. He had no idea how Katara could have seen it, but sometimes she was like that, one minute detached and distant, the next insightful and startlingly observant. Sokka was just about to assure her that it was likely just a trick of the light when katara stood, stabilizing their small craft with a swish of her fingertips. Before he could find the words to raise protest, the deed was done. Sweat beading across her brow, Sokka watched stunned as a large crack made its way throughout the ice, splintering the mammoth glacier before his eyes. Suddenly from the slab emerged an oddly symmetrical sphere of ice, glowing with a sort of power, even he as a non-bender could identify. After a minute of gaping awe, this too fell to pieces, scattering in the cold arctic sea, and from the sphere emerged a boy. Swaying on his feet, the blue arrow tattoo which curled over his forehead resembling more a haphazard compass than anything, it came as no surprise to the siblings when he collapsed. Katara watched the stranger fall to the earth with a disinterested gaze, though Sokka could see the faintest sense of curiosity in her eyes. Despite his initial desire to abandon their surroundings as if it were the scene of a crime, Sokka knew that the boy must be significant if he were able to attract even this much attention from his sister and decided to suggest what he knew Katara would not.

"Do you want to check it out?" Katara didn't answer, instead stepping out of their canoe to hop upon a series of small floating ice pieces until she reached the plain of ice which held the boy. As Sokka followed her, he could see that she cradled the young teens head in her lap, easily healing the small gash which had opened up as his head hit the ground. After a few moments he groaned and his eye lids fluttered open. All at once he seemed to stiffen, a pale blush rose to his cheeks and Sokka could see that his pupils were dilating, near obscuring the clear crystal grey of his eyes. If he had been any older than 12 Sokka would have hit him, but though he had memorized the signs of attraction time and time again, knowing that eventually Katara would come across a boy of her own age, Sokka knew that this was an unlikely case in this situation. 'What is he twelve? Theres no way he's attracted to Katara, bet he hasn't even hit puberty yet! He probably just has a concussion and was embarrassed to wake up in a strangers lap. Yeah that's it...' Sokka reasoned with himself, dragging himself back into the present when he realized he had missed something.

"Will you go penguin sledding with me?"

"...perhaps" and that was that. They took the boy back to the village, upon finding out that his name was Aang, along with a strange furry creature he called Appa. The trip was actually quite pleasant, with the new addition to their group making friendly conversation, spread out on the heated body of what Aang identified as a flying bison. It was when they got to the village that the real trouble began.


	3. Hunter's moon

**Chapter 3**

As Aang stepped within the boundaries of the village, the members of the water tribe broke out in furious whispers, holding the children back despite their obvious curiosity of the stranger. As Sokka glared the small gathering of woman and children into silence, the three could still just hear the gist of the mutterings.

"Monster…bring…destroy us…victim…doesn't know what she is…" Katara stared coldly ahead into their accusing eyes and Aang grimaced in distaste. He didn't understand how an entire community could turn against a single person this way. When he had lived with the air monks everyone had been like a large family, laughing, playing and working together. What he saw here would have been unfathomable a mere minute ago. Frankly, if he hadn't seen it, he would never have believed such a thing to be possible. Finally a single woman, back stooped with age, hair in the odd loopies that seemed to be favoured among the tribe, stepped forward away from the crowd. The expression on Katara's face was like the sun finally shining after days of cloudy weather. The change was dramatic in the mostly expressionless girl and Aang found he was intrigued.

"Gran Gran!" Katara squealed, skipping forward to meet her grandmother with a large hug. It really was humorously childlike, but the displeased rumblings only seemed to rise in volume and it took the many refusals of offered lodging from the other tribespersons before he could finally retreat to Sokka and Katara's home, with the one they had called 'Gran Gran' joining them. They sat in a small circle within the small home, bowls filled with an odd sort of fishy stew in each of their laps. They sat like this, eating in silence, until finally everyone was finished and the silence was just beginning to turn awkward when Gran Gran spoke up.

"No one's seen an airbender for a hundred years, if not more. We thought they were extinct." Aang was shocked and dismayed and it was with a heavy heart that he discovered the current state of his people and his hundred year imprisonment in the ice. It wouldn't have been unusual had he sank into a depression at this news and he likely would have if Katara had not leaned into him from her place at his side, lending support in a vaguely comforting gesture that somehow managed to stabilize his buckling emotions where a hug would not have. Suddenly Aang remembered her indefinite promise.

"Will you go penguin sledding with me?" Aang asked for the second time that day, beaming when she stood and took his hand, leading him back into the frosty outside temperatures. Aang soon found himself on a beach, fruitlessly trying to catch a penguin-otter. After several more minutes of the sleek creatures repeatedly slipping out from his grasp, the young airbender finally

gave in. Not expecting much of an answer from his quiet companion, he was surprised when Katara reached into a pocket and pulled out a fish.

"What are you..." that was as far as Aang got before the penguins, in their haste to retrieve the morsel before it was eaten by the others, practically ran over him to get to Katara. It was only a short time later that that the pair found themselves sledding down a steep hill, weaving throughout the snow drifts. Aang was having the time of his life, despite the fact that Katara had hardly spoken a word to him the whole time and his suspicions that she had enjoyed watching him struggle to catch the penguins. He turned to ask if she wanted to go back to the village,

maneuvering his penguin to avoid a rather large snow drift when he caught something out of the corner of his eye that made him flinch with surprise. For the first time since he had seen her Katara was smiling. Knowing that she would return to her formerly cold features should he

say anything, Aang remained silent, studying her smile intently. If Katara had been beautiful before, when she smiled she was utterly gorgeous. Exposing pearly white teeth that contrasted beautifully against her bronzed skin and rosy lips, Aang couldn't help but think that she was the very vision of loveliness. Before she had held what seemed the harsh, distant beauty of ice, an arctic goddess in the flesh, but now it seemed as if the ice had melted, leaving behind an

oasis, the kind of warm beauty that drew people in like moths to flame. But as quickly as it had come, it was gone and Aang realized that his downward momentum had concluded awhile ago, leaving him unabashedly staring at the waterbender and his penguin fidgeting impatiently beneath him. Aang blushed and dismounted, leaving the penguin to waddle after his brethren. They simply stood there, staring at each other and Aang was starting to grow uncomfortable under her piercing blue gaze when finally she turned to lead him back to the village, leaving him with only a few simple words.

"It's time for dinner"

* * *

Zuko startled from his place at the bow of the ship, back straightening as he looked to the sky, binoculars pressed harshly against his eyes. His uncle idly sipped tea behind him, moving the

occasional tile in a solitary game of Pai sho. A pale beam of light shot up into the sky from some miles ahead of them, illuminating the land in a glowing swath of light.

"That must be him, no other person could perform a feat of such power. Captain, set a course for that light!" the banished heir commanded, smirking dangerously as he felt the large battleship change course beneath his feet.

"Prince Zuko, why don't you join me for a calming pot of ginseng tea?" Iroh asked gently, not reacting to his nephews immediate sneer.

"There is no time for tea, I have to find the Avatar!" Zuko harshly explained, obviously one second away from burning all of his immediate surroundings in a fit of rage.

"There is always time for tea and you will not get there any faster if you remain standing at the helm of the ship. Why not have a cup of tea with your lonely old uncle?" With a sigh Zuko gave in, plopping down across from his only companion on the so far pointless voyage.

"Fine" the fire prince said petulantly, making a face as he sipped at the tea his uncle prepared for him.

"Prince Zuko, the Avatar has not been seen for a hundred years, why do you continue on this foolish quest?" Iroh asked, trying, despite his nephews stubbornness, to change his mind before he devoted his entire life to a futile obsession.

"If that is what has to be done to return to the Fire Nation, I will hunt the Avatar until my dying breath." He replied simply and that was that. It was many days later that the Fire Nation ship finally arrived at its destination. The South Pole. It had been aided in finding it's location, of course by a Fire nation flare that had somehow been triggered, but regardless zuko would be the one that was taking the Avatar into custody.

They pulled up next to the village, readied for action. As soon as the sea vessel stopped, Zuko and his soldiers, neatly in formation and strikingly dressed in full fire nation armour, stood in the doorway of the ship in a way that commanded nothing less than an observers full attention, before marching onto the ice in a manner that would be sure to intimidate whoever their enemy may be. To Zuko's disappointment, waiting for them were only a small group of women, and children. Realizing the Avatar couldn't be too far out of their reach however, the Fire Nation prince moved past his disappointment to concentrate on getting information. Just as he was about to demand his answers however, a single young man, face slathered in an odd paint like mixture that lent a slate like tinge to his skin, gave a loud war cry and leapt forward. Despite his reluctant admiration of the warriors bravery and the skill he could see in the way he held his spear, Zuko knew he had no time for a duel, and it was with a snap of his fingers that the sole warrior of the village was overwhelmed with sheer numbers, struggling fruitlessly beneath a fair bit of his troops. He continued onwards despite the interruption until he came to a stop before the shivering, huddling masses. They were a pathetic bunch to be sure. Perhaps ten mothers, a dozen children and one lone elderly woman, every single villager looking at him with eyes full of submission and fear but for those of the elderly woman, whose gaze held enough fire for the entire tribe. But nonetheless she was an old woman, well past getting on in years and despite the strength it had obviously taken to survive in the harsh climates of the south pole for so long a lifetime, there was little a woman of such a frail age could do to stop a strong youth such as himself, much less the army advancing behind him.

"Where is the Avatar?!" He demanded, curling his lip in a sneer as the clan remained silent, shrinking into themselves in cowardice. As no answer came he huffed in impatience and reached forward to grab the old woman. Shaking her by her jacket until she went limp, he displayed her in front of the eyes of the village, none of whom made a move to protest.

"He should be about this old with an arrow tattooed onto his head. Tell me now or I'll burn your village to the ground!" They shook like leaves, but still none made to speak up. Zuko took the time to glance around in disgust. Aside from a few igloos and the odd ramshackle hut, the village seemed to consist of nothing more than a fragile watch tower of snow which leaned to the side and looked as if it could barely hold the weight of a child. If he burned the place down he might even be doing them a favour. Suddenly they began to shriek in fear, and even as he watched they parted, scrambling to get away from what ever might be behind them, whispering of monsters, as the fire nation forces watched on in confusion and the captured warrior began to struggle harder. Not that he would ever show it, but Zuko was a bit put out. Here the Fire Nation prince had come to the south pole to destroy the last hope of the nations and terrorize the water village and he wasn't the one being called a monster. This terrified pandemonium leant itself to creating some confusion among the invaders when the crowd parted to reveal... a girl. Zuko guessed her to be fourteen years of age and obviously related to the old woman and the warrior if one judged by their fiery spirit. Normally she would be an unassuming character, someone that would fade immediately into the background and the bleakness of near forgotten memory, but the reactions of the villagers, the pleas of the old woman to calm herself and her dangerous bearing all leant to a sudden tension in him and his troops. After what seemed like an hour but was surely only a few seconds, she casually stepped forward and before he could stop himself, Zuko took a step back, dragging the old woman with him. It wasn't before the deed was done that he realized what he had happened and he quickly stepped forward again, but he knew by the satisfied gleam in the girl's cerulean eyes that she realized the weakness that had been revealed in the step he had taken. Zuko blustered, attempting to regain status in the eyes of the soldiers who had also noticed.

"Stand aside, we search for the Avatar!" He commanded, slightly unnerved by how unfocused her eyes were. He had seen the same kind of distance from reality in only a select few people, all of whom were not the kind of person even he as a member of the Fire Nation's royal family would want to cross. They were the eyes of a person who, while not having having the same bloodthirsty need to see others suffer, as his father and sister did, were the kind of eyes that belonged to someone who could calmly watch someone bleed out on the floor.

"She's mine. Give her back." The girl stated, as if she were a child and he had stolen her favourite toy. Before Zuko could say anything, the hostage rushed to assure her.

"Of course he's going to give me back Katara, he knows what trouble he would be in if he ever hurt someone that belonged to you..." She said glaring at him meaningfully, only to wince when he tightened his grip.

"I don't know..." He smirked "I suppose she might make it back to you unharmed if only someone knew where the Avatar was..." Zuko hinted in a mockingly thoughtful tone, confident that he would now get what he wanted. He shifted uneasily however when the girl, who he now knew as Katara, eyes alighted with a blaze to rival Azula's blue fire. Suddenly with a wave of her hands, each member of the army fell to the ground, struggling with their heavy armour and the snow that seemed to have taken on the form of large, constricting snakes which pinned them to the ice. Zuko let flames flare around him, melting a snake shaped construction which seemed bent on strangling him to death, and the others followed his lead, however it had given the two hostages just enough time to escape their captors and return to the crowd of fearfully gawking tribespersons.

"A waterbender!" Zuko exclaimed, in shock from the rapid turn of events

"You're supposed to be extinct, the fire nation raid years ago..."

"Obviously missed one. A little girl perhaps?" Katara snorted as the prince's annoyance at being interrupted was made apparent. Zuko couldn't miss how obviously powerful the waterbender was, what with the demonstration with the snow snakes. He had never even heard of snowbending, much less seen such a masterful example, and here she was not looking tired in the least even after restraining a small army. It was to the point that even he in his arrogance had to admit that if it came to a duel, he might lose. He could feel his uncle's worry at the situation from where he watched from the deck of the boat with his tea. Nothing that he had taught him had ever prepared him to fight a snowbender, and who knew what other tricks she had up her sleeve, they were practically in her element after all. Zuko got into a battle ready position and his army circled Katara on all sides. Suddenly they heard yelling, and once more Zuko was thrown onto his back as something knocked his feet out from under him. That something, to a mix of raging embarrassment and glee, turned out to be a child on a penguin. A child in the traditional garb of an airmonk with an arrow tattooed upon his head. As the penguin waddled off he and the other firebenders circled this new threat, recognizing him for what he really was.

"So the Avatar finally shows himself" Zuko said triumphantly, his world narrowing to that blue arrow standing out starkly against the bare pale skin of the young boys head. The the villagers seemed stunned, warrior and old woman included. The only one who didn't seem surprised being the waterbender he had been about to duel a moment ago and zuko narrowed his eyes suspiciously. If it was at all possible he would take the girl, along with the airbender. The Avatar was the priority, but at the same time the Fire Nation couldn't afford to leave such a powerful opponent free to do who knows what. He had to think of the future of the Fire Nation. Zuko gave a warning shot of fire which arced over the heads of the villagers, making them squeal and Aang who had been twirling his staff, ready to fight, hesitated, looking behind him at the frightened villagers.

"If I go with you will you leave them alone?" Zuko barely needed a second to decide and nodded, leaving the avatar, sans staff, in the arms of his followers. He was led onto the ship, as the villagers watched and zuko was just about to join him when once again Katara stepped forward, eyes filled with a glint of cunning that he did not like. Granted it would be ideal to take her also, but he hadn't been willing to push his luck and this seemed like a nice turn. The waterbender stalled, pulling her brother into a tight hug, and Zuko could see that she was whispering into his ear, but unwilling to risk another demonstration of her bending prowess, he let it go and followed her onto the ship as she gracefully climbed the steps. Soon enough they stood on the deck of the ship, and by the worry on his uncle's face as he looked at her, Zuko knew that the glint was alive again. Just as he was about to order the captain to pull out, she raised a hand to stop him.

"Allow me." And before he could protest the ship was once again making headway through the choppy waves, with an easy gesture of the arms. It was obvious what the purpose of the move had been. Katara, or the waterbender as he reminded himself to call her, was powerful, not at all tired, not at all subdued, and most of all she had come willingly. They would have to watch that they did not incite her anger. What with the Avatar and what could potentially become the most powerful enemy he had ever made, the Avatar being the peace loving monk that he was, aboard his ship, Zuko was worried they might not even make it to the Fire Nation.

"Take them to the prison hold" Zuko ordered, handing the airbender's staff to a random soldier with the instructions that it be taken to his room. He was just about to go check on their route when the girl once again interceded.

"Now, now," the Water Tribe girl pouted, linking arms with the avatar and pulling him closer as if they were the best of friends, and god he hoped not, the ship might not last under such an alliance, though judging by the pinkened shade of the his cheeks the Avatar obviously hoped for much more.

"What a bad host you are!" She said, as if shocked by his uncouth manners, tucking a thick strand of deep chestnut hair behind her ear as she did so

"Such a thing is completely unnecessary, we did come willingly after all, and if you still do not trust us," she continued with a meaningful pause

"I will assure you neither of us will leave this ship without your full knowledge" as Zuko stood speechless at the admonishment from his prisoner, Katara proceeded to kneel across from his uncle at the Pai sho board, dragging Aang into position with her as she watched him proceed with the forging of his strategy, this being the classic sign that he was likely planning to challenge one of the ship's captain some time soon, who held a certain expertise in the game of Pai sho himself. Katara spoke up as Iroh reached for a tile, obviously planning on placing it to the far left of the board.

"I would suggest using the white lotus tile rather than the earth. People often underestimate its importance you know." Katara injected casually as if she and Iroh had sat at that exact same table for years. Almost in synchronization Zuko gawked and a wide delighted grin began to make its way across Iroh's face.

"The tea smells delectable, ginseng is it?, may Aang and I partake in some?" The grin now spread cheek to cheek and as Iroh excitedly dove headfirst into a discussion of Pai sho, philosophy and tea, somehow all at once, with Katara nodding along as Aang confusedly sipped his tea alongside. Iroh stopped for only enough breath to politely, if a little distractedly, ask his nephew to join them at the table before launching back into the conversation. That was when Zuko knew for certain that the battle was lost.

**Review**


	4. New moon

**Chapter 4**

"I'm going on the ship with Aang. Find Appa and catch up with us in a few hours, you know the words to make him fly. Aang spoke them before at the iceberg. Just believe. Don't forget to pack for the trip. I love you." Katara whispered and with that she pried herself from her brothers caging arms and walked unhurried onto the ship under the young leader's suspicious eyes, subtly encasing Sokka's feet in ice as she went to ensure he wouldn't try to chase after her. Once on the deck she then waterbent the ship into motion, distancing the large metal bulk from the shoreline, very careful not to reveal the strain it put on her to move such weight. After they were safely underway, she swiftly undermined the young warlords authority and sat with an older gentleman playing pai sho, dragging Aang along with her. The man was surprisingly good company, witty, deep thinking and knowledgable about a great many subjects. She was a tad deterred when the scarred young man joined them at the table, choosing to spend his time glaring at a decidedly nervous looking avatar rather then talking to them, but the man who had introduced himself as Iroh, or uncle as he liked to be called, quickly drew her back into the conversation. Soon enough the two were playing a cheerful game of pai sho and telling carefully edited versions of their stories. This was how she discovered the young warlord, who she now knew to be Fire Nation prince Zuko, had been banished by his father and could return only in the case that he brought the avatar with him. Said Fire Nation prince had seemed angry when iroh began to tell the story, however was quickly distracted as Aang made a noise of sympathy and returned to glaring.

Katara in turn was busy telling the story of her father grief and her subsequent descent into semi-madness, which had gathered the immediate attention of everyone on the deck even including the ever angry Zuko and a few soldiers that were managing to pretend to work well enough that they could remain in hearing range. It was as she was explaining the tale of a very lost trader that had ended up in the south pole and ended up exposing her to quite a few things one would not normally find in the South Pole including pai sho and tea, that Katara noticed a familiar black speck approaching from the sky. Aang, who had just been about to cry out, was silenced by a sharp elbow and no one noticed as small streams of water curled over the sides of the ship, slithering over to the feet of those inhabiting the deck. It was just as a large bison shaped shadow fell over the ship and the first soldiers began to cry out, that they all found their lower bodies frozen into a solid block of ice, leaving their hands free to melt themselves from the trap in some time. The bison landed with a resounding thump and Sokka jumped from the saddle onto the deck, running for Katara as Aang ran to meet his bison in an affectionate, though somewhat undersized, embrace. Spinning her around, checking for any sign of injury, completely ignoring Zuko as he made dire threats, Sokka was finally satisfied at her state of health, pulling her into a tight hug before leading her back to the flying beast. He was lecturing her on not worrying him, barely stopping to breathe, when Zuko interrupted.

"Wait! You said you wouldn't leave!" He yelled and Katara could see that he had made a good amount of headway on his block of ice, though not nearly as much as his uncle who was already halfway finished.

"Nooooo..." Katara said, drawing out the word playfully as she settled comfortably in Appa's saddle

"I promised neither of us would leave the ship without your knowledge. Speaking of which, bye Zuko, we're leaving!" Katara was amused to see a vein throbbing on Zuko's forehead but Iroh was almost done and though he didn't look angry, Katara didn't want to be there when he escaped if the rate at which he was melting the ice was any indication of his power.

"Time to go!" She called to Aang who sat at the head of the bison

"YIP YIP!" Aang shouted, cracking the bison's reins and they quickly rose into the sky, leaving behind a ship full of disgruntled Fire Nation soldiers and a furious prince.

After a fair bit of flying the Fire Nation ship was finally out of sight and the trio gave a sigh of relief.

"Well aang if you could drop us off at the South Pole that would be great. I don't know where you're going now but wherever it is I wish you luck." Sokka said and though obviously reluctant to be alone, Aang moved to direct Appa back to the south pole when Katara interrupted, causing him to hesitate

"We're not going back to the South Pole."

"Katara, what are you-" Sokka protested

"Sokka, I am the monster of my village. I was raised to breathe power, enough power to defend them against the fire nation, and now that I do, they fear me, they envy me and they hate me in equal amounts. You had the position of chief thrust upon you when you were too young to truly understand what it meant. These people that do not offer the house of their leader the spoils of their harvest for his protection, that persecute his sister and barely accept their grandmother, once revered village elder that she was, as it is do not deserve you." Sokka seemed about to interrupt but Katara spoke over him

"Perhaps we will return one day, but our future does not lie with the Southern Water Tribe. The tribe will take care of gran gran, however if you still desire to return we will drop you off. I will travel with the avatar to teach him waterbending, regardless of what you decide." For a moment it seemed as if the water tribe chief would throw a screaming fit, but he breathed deeply and gradually managed to calm down before thinking on the issue.

"We will continue on then. Who knows what you would get into if I left you to your own devices." Katara grinned, lunging to hold her brother in a tight embrace, smiling wider as he returned it. Aang was excited also and as the sun set and the moon rose higher in the sky he chattered about airbenders, about waterbenders and warriors, and all the adventures they would have together. It was to the sound of the avatars laughter that both siblings fell asleep that night, wrapped in each others arms.


End file.
